Detector for party-line telephones.



H. Y. HALEY. DETECTOR FOR PARTY LINE TELEPHONES. APPLIGATIONI'ILED PEB.24, 1908.

1 ,024, 1 3 1 Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

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HARRISON Y. HALEY, F RUSHSYLVANIA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR CF ONE-THIRD TO HAROLD F. CAMPBELL, 0F ROSSBURG, OHIO, AND CHARLES D. CAMPBELL, 0F BELLEFON- TAINE, onro.

DETECTOR FOR PARTY-LINE TELEPHONES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in telephones, and consists in devices talking of the ring or call of the party cutting in, and also notifies central and parties talking when the party has hung up his phone.

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of my device as it is located in the telephone box. Fig. 2 shows the two sides of the Wheel 7.

The object of my invention is to provide an automatically actuated signaling device for controlling the signaling circuit whereby the call or ring of the party ringing up, is automatically transmitted to central. In this way, if any toll charge is to be made, central will know positively, what telephone is calling, and will not have to depend on the users word for it. It further acts as a detector and rings the call of any party attempting to listen when a party line is in use, so that the parties talking, as well as central will know who is interfering, or listoning, and also automatically gives notice when the eaves-dropper has hung up his receiver.

On all party lines as now used, a call from the central exchange goes through the whole circuit, ringing every bell thereon, but only the party whose special call is rung is supposed to answer.. Each separate telephone on the line has a special and separate call, thus: the first telephone on the line may have one ring of the bell for its call; the second telephone on the line, two rings; the third, one short and one long ring, and so on, as decided upon by the central exchange. The rules of the telephone company forbid any party answering any call except his own, and forbid any other party taking down his receiver to listen to the conversation g0- ing over the wire. But with the present system there is no means of preventing all parties on the line from taking down their receivers and hearing what is going over the wire. Nor can the central oflice tell what telephone calls central, but must take the partys word for it, so that one party might send a toll message through central exchange, have the message charged to some other telephone on the line, and the central office have no means of .detecting the imposition.

With my arrangement each telephone automatically rings its own call at the central exchange before the party can use the talking circuit, and if the operator at central fails to recognize the call he can ask the party to hang up his receiver and take it down again, which will repeat the call. The operator cannot be deceived in this, either, for the act of hanging up the receiver announces itself to the operator by a final ring.

The construction and arrangement of my device are as follows. Mounted on the metallic magneto shaft 15, is a brass gear wheel 16, that operates a brass spacing wheel 7, through power from themain spring 14, one end of which is attached to the shaft, and the other end to the inside of the telephone box. A. crank on the end of the shaft, outside of the box, serves to turn the shaft to wind the main spring, when it has been exhausted, which shaft is provided with a clutch between the Wheel and spring to permit the spring to be wound up without moving the wheel. The spacing wheel 7 has on one face a number of separated insulated plates, 33, 34, 35, and 36 four being shown, whereby the wheel is provided with four insulated and four metallic sections 37, 38, 39, 40. These metallic sections are made longer or shorter, according to the placing of the insulated parts. Two groups of these sections are shown in the drawing, there being one long and one short one in each group, and a short insulating space between the two long sections. On the opposite side or face of wheel 7 are two projecting pins 21 and 8, the former insulated from the rest of the wheel, and on the same side of the wheel 7 as the pins 8 and 21, on the hub of the wheel, is a metallic collar, insulated from the wheel and the shaft it is mounted on. This collar is connected with pin 21 by a wire 31. This mechanism constitutes a make and break device which normally closes the signal-receiving circuit in a manner to be presently described and is furthermore adapted through contacts 9 and 21 to control the speaking circuit. In other words, the make and break device is interposed in and controls the speaking and signal-transmitting circuits. Attached to the under side of the receiver arm 10, above, and to one side of wheel 7, is a bracket or arresting lever 9 having two shoulders projecting laterally toward the wheel 7, the upper shoulder being adapted to contact with stop 8 when the receiver arm is in its lower position when the receiver is hung thereon, and the lower shoulder being adapted to engage with pin 21, farther in on the edge of the wheel during the revolution of the wheel, when the receiver arm is in its upper position, after the receiver has been taken down. The receiver arm 10 carrying the arresting lever 9 will be seen to be movable independently of the parts actuating the make and break device. My arrangement is such that no person can talk over his telephone unless the main spring 14: is wound up and operative, thus insuring that each party on the line will keep the spring wound on his own telephone box.

The operation of my device is as follows: hen the central ofiice rings up a telephone on the line the current from the main line comes in at the positive binding post 1, thence over wire 2 to positive binding post 3 of the call bell; thence out at the negative binding post 1, through wire 5 and spring piece 6 to wheel 7 and pin 8 on opposite side of wheel 7 and top part of bracket 9 on receiver arm 10, to wire 11 and negative binding post 12, completing the circuit and making the call. On the taking down of the receiver by the party called, the arm 10 rises allowing the main spring 14: to revolve the shaft 15 and wheel 7, through gear wheel 16, revolving the magneto coil 17, causing the spring 6 in contact with the metallic spacings on wheel 7 to ring the call of the telephone, by passing out through magneto spring 19 and wire 20, the nega tive binding post 12, and main line to con tral, and back through the wire from central to the binding post 1, wire 2 to bell connections 3, and out at bell connection 4 to bell and wire 5, thence to spring 6 in contact with the spacing wheel 7, making the rings only when spring 6 is in contact with the metallic spacings on the face of the wheel; thence through wheel 7, gear wheel 16, shaft 15, to the other end of the magneto coil 17, completing the circuit, and giving the ring or call of the telephone, until wheel 7 comes to rest with projecting pin 21 resting against the lower arm of bracket 9 on receiver arm 10, this giving the battery, transmitter and receiver circuit by route of binding post 1, wire 22, receiver 13, wire 23, wire 24, transmitter 27, wire 25, wire 26, battery 27 a and wire 28 to spring 29 that is in contact with collar 30 insulated on the shaft of the wheel 7 and connected by' wire 31 to post 21, that contacts with lower part of bracket 9 on receiver arm 10, and

by wire 11, to binding post 12, thus giving main circuit, comprising a call bell, of a magneto provided with driving means; a rotatable wheel in driven relation with said driving means, said wheel being electrically connected with the main circuit and the magneto and provided with a series of makes and breaks; and a receiver hook in circuit with said wheel and magneto, said hook being provided with means holding the wheel against rotation while the receiver is on the hook and releasing said wheel when the receiver is removed from the hook. v

2. The combination with a telephone comprising a receiver and hook; of an attachment therefor comprising a power driven magneto and a rotating make and break member driven from the shaft of said magneto; and means carried by said hook normally holding said member against rotation but permitting a limited rotation when the receiver is removed from the hook.

HARRISON Y. HALEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

